Mark 6:23-33; John 6:1-17; Matthew 14:22-33; John 6:22-65

23And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."24She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptist," she answered.25At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."26The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.27So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,28and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.29On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.4The Jewish Passover Feast was near.5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.14After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.16When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,17where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,24but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.23Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.24Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.48I am the bread of life.49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."